One Day She'll Say Yes
by strandedthought
Summary: For those who know Roy and Riza belong together! 30 Variation on how Roy might propose Ch 6: Trust Me: Sometimes, she made things a bit difficult. Set post-manga, end of series spoilers.
1. One Day

I don't own FMA

Theme 1. The Ring's on the Other Hand

Mangaverse--spoilerish if you haven't read the chapter about the Ishbalan War, and don't know who Roy's teacher was.

Thanks for taking a look at this for me Bizzy and Dailenna!

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When she first saw that he was there her hand slipped from the rifle she was holding. Of course she had heard that he was there, but she thought that she would never see him. Most of his work could be done from a distance, a place where he didn't need the protection of a sniper. He was walking around so carelessly in the town they'd decimated. She looked him and his friend up and down through the magnified vision of the rifle scope. She wasn't satisfied with only seeing the back of his head—she wanted to see the face that often haunted her dreams.

Movement caught the corner of her eye. Something gleamed in a dark-skinned child's hand. Her seasoned hand steadied the rifle at the proper angle, and a second later the child fell forward with a bullet buried in the back of his head.

The pair had turned around just before the bullet hit the boy, and had just enough time for a few moments of their lives to pass before their eyes, and then the boy fell at their feet.

The fear on his face at the time was good to see—she knew it meant he still wanted to live—some soldiers went into battle not caring if they survived, and they were the ones who never went back home.

She studied his far off face, and from the weary lines that etched his sand blown skin determined that his dream was all that kept his will to live burning strong.

She wasn't surprised when the man standing next to him practically revealed her identity. The name on his badge, Hughes, was one she'd heard of during the brief unit meetings they had to give out assignments. He was continually praised for the information he'd gathered on the whereabouts of Ishbalan hideouts. It wasn't odd that he knew which sniper had saved them. Being intelligence he was privileged with knowing the locations to which each sniper was designated.

She could see the bafflement on Roy's face at Hughes' words—could tell he was trying to get a glimpse of her from his spot on the ground, but he didn't. Her job was to stay hidden in the shadows.

* * *

Her heart jumped to life when he sat down next to her around the campfire they had going. After everyone else left to try and get some sleep, nightmare filled or not she could only guess. He took off his gloves and fingered the hair at the nape of her neck. "I thought you were going to grow it out." 

She repressed the shiver that shouldn't have plagued her in the warm, windless desert air. "I started to, but it was impractical in the academy," she explained.

His hand lay idle on her neck. The only sound came from the crackle of a real, wood burning fire. His hand slid down her back and rested around her waist-his finger just above her hip.

"That's not appropriate," she told him, but didn't make him move his arm. As a matter of fact she leaned closer to him—seeking the human warmth that was much more comforting than the dissipating heat of the desert night and the fire before them. Soon the air would be cold enough that she'd need three of the heavy, military issue blankets to stay warm in her little tent.

He began to rub circles on the area under his fingertips. She didn't say anything to stop him when his fingertips moved under the fabric of her uniform to massage the skin without the friction of the fabric under his fingers, but she did grab his hand and hold it out to the dim firelight when she felt a metal band touch her skin. Just as she suspected it was on the ring finger of his left hand. "Congratulations," she said flatly, letting his hand fall from her grip. It wasn't every day that she discovered the man she loved was married and making a move on her. "Don't worry, I won't tell your wife," she spit as she walked away. Her iron will kept her from looking back at him during her retreat.

It took Roy a minute to process her words. Everything had been fine, and then she—he paused mid-thought—wife. She thought he was married. He looked down at the hand she had examined and quickly realized his mistake.

The ring with the glowing red stone sat on his left hand, wrapped around his ring finger like a wedding band. He pulled it off and shoved it back on the ring finger of his right hand with a grimace. He'd forgotten about the gouge that was stitched up from the bottom of his palm to the first knuckle of his ring finger that he got when he'd helped dig through some rubble that had collapsed on another unit. He followed her away from the camp.

* * *

Riza always walked to her tent in a roundabout way to avoid the deprived men of the camp. She hated having to fend them off. 

He caught up with her as she rounded a wall of stone, and under the moonless night he pinned her against the rough surface and stole the kiss he was starving for.

She surrendered to his passion for only a moment, and then pushed him off of herself with so much force that he crashed to the sand.

She wasn't above sleeping with the man she loved, but she would be no one's mistress—no ones dirty little secret. "Married men aren't my type," she hissed as she began to walk away.

Roy scrambled to his feet and grabbed her arm. He twisted her around to face him and returned the narrow-eyed glare she gave him. "The only thing I'm married to is my career," he corrected her earlier accusations. He held her right hand up to her face so she could see the ring. "Do you think I'd wear a wedding ring with this size of a stone on it, or any stone on it for that matter? They make me wear this thing to increase my alchemic power, so I can destroy whole cities with fire," he told her in an angry hushed tone, gesturing wildly with his left hand. "Every time I see it I think off those red eyes that will never see again, because of me."

She stared at him—speechless—while he took deep breaths to calm himself. "I'm sorry," she murmured—not just for herself, but for what he'd told her—for making him think about it.

His grip on her arm slackened, but she didn't pull away. She took a step closer to him, and put her arms around him.

He was quick to wrap his arms around her. When he saw her looking up at him the hunger took over again.

* * *

Riza didn't know how they'd made it all the way to her tent with their uniforms still in place and without being noticed, since they stopped every few minutes and gave in to their need to claim each other's breath. If her mind could really be bothered by anything other than his body against hers she would have realized that no matter who saw them no one would stop them, because it was something everyone there understood—letting physical desires take over between the nightmares just to have a brief respite. 

They were both sated and covered in sweat that the night chill quickly cooled on their skin. Her head was on his chest and she listened to his slowing heartbeat—the same way she had when he'd first made love to her after she revealed the tattoo on her back.

He fiddled with the hair at the nape of her neck again, lost in a daydream of sorts.

She placed her hand on his cheek to get his attention and asked what was on his mind.

Right there during the frigid desert night, in a military tent, in the middle of a battlefield he asked her to become his wife. When she only frowned he added, "After this is over."

She gave him a sad smile. "I'd have to retire. Hand in my guns. Until you've accomplished your dreams I can't do that."

He didn't freeze at her words, but kept running his hand through her short hair, picking out stray pieces of sand until she fell asleep in the silence. "One day," he whispered, his hand tracing the lines on her back. "One day you'll be my wife."

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A.N.-This is for the 30Kisses community of Live Journal. The list I am using is Iota/Proposals. So there will be marriage proposal or mention of one in each chapter. The same pairing will be used throughout all 30 pieces. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.


	2. Acceptance

I don't own FMA.

Spoilers if you don't know the Briggs characters are. The only real important information is that Olivier hates Roy and that Buccaneer and Miles are two of her subordinates. Let's say the old Fuhrer has been had and elections commenced for a new one.

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Olivier Milla Armstrong refused to accept that fact that Roy Mustang had been elected Fuhrer over her. She sat on the stage in her chair against the wall with her lips pressed in a firm line.

She looked the part of every good military official with her ribbons hung and pins in place. Every button was polished and hooked through the fabric of her uniform in the proper place, the white gloves were stain free, standing out against the black of her lint-free coat.

She had looked impressive walking up on the stage with her measured military march, preeminent posture, and sparkling sword secured at her hip. No one on stage would have been able to tell how disappointed she was with the wretched Mustang's victory, but Buccaneer and Miles standing back in the crowd saw her tuck her golden locks behind her ears, a clear sign of her frustration.

While he made his acceptance speech she began to review the pros and cons of this new turn of events, eventually thinking about what she should do in light of it. She could always keep her distance from the disrespectful man in her fortress at Briggs, or she could retire. She was a woman after all, and the prospect of getting married wasn't completely ludicrous as long as it was with the right person. And, being the eldest it was Armstrong tradition for her to carry on the family name, especially since her only brother was such a hopeless case when it came to women.

Olivier was pulled from her thoughts as a flurry of black and blue crossed her line of vision. She was about to stand up, thinking the foul Fuhrer had finished his speech and walked off the stage, but when she looked up it was Riza Hawkeye who had walked past her, and people were cheering. Olivier slightly turned her head to the older man on her left. "What just happened?" she asked in a whisper.

"I do believe she just accepted his proposal," the spectacled man replied with a chuckle.

"Who accepted whose proposal?" she snapped, her voice inaudible to all except for the man next to her.

"Why General Armstrong, you haven't been paying attention, have you?" the man asked, but didn't wait for the response he knew she wouldn't give. "Fuhrer Mustang made his first change to military policy—the fraternization laws have been revised. Then he said, 'And now that I've achieved the goal you've been helping me work towards for years, Riza Hawkeye will you assist me in also having the title of husband?' Then she nodded at him from her place in the front row there, and she was ushered on to the stage," he explained.

"And I thought she was sensible," Olivier mumbled under her breath. "I should have known there was more to her loyalty."

"When will you be settling down, General?" the man asked.

Olivier shot a quick glare are hatred towards Mustang and then answered the man's question, "I'm too old to be thinking of marriage." She repressed a shiver of disgust as she saw Mustang press his lips to Hawkeye's forehead out of the corner of her eye.

"But that burly fellow over there hasn't taken his eyes off of you throughout the entire ceremony," he said.

She ignored his implications and replied proudly, "One of my best men. He wouldn't even leave my side if I threatened to kill him."

"That sounds like more than loyalty to me," the man said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his coat.

"Who are you?" Olivier asked, turning to look at him for the first time since their conversation started.

"General Grumman, from Eastern, it's a pleasure to finally meet the woman in charge of the famed fortress of Briggs," he said, holding his hand out to shake hers.

Olivier decided he would be someone she wouldn't mind knowing and shook his hand. She looked back over to the podium where Hawkeye stood with Mustang's arm around her shoulders and decided that she'd make sure Hawkeye knew she'd have someone to help her dispose of a body if Mustang didn't turn out to be a good husband.

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A.N.-So, how'd I do with Olivier p.o.v.?

Thanks for reviewing: OTP, AAR, Legendary Chimera, JenovaJuice97, Mirage992, Yun Min, Kitsune MoonStar, Bizzy, MoonStarDutchess, Your Favorite Plushie, WinglessFairy25, Hawkeye0165, RRForever, AnimeLuvr8, and Dailenna.


	3. Taking the Lead

I don't own FMA

Theme: Amnesia

Spoilers if you don't know the secret behind Roy's alchemy.

Thanks to Dailenna and WindxAlchemist for helping with Riza's actions and words.

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They had been seated, their drinks delivered, and their orders taken. The evening had been amazing, hell anytime he spent with the blonde sitting across from him was amazing, but something about this night in particular had made it surpass amazing, that was why when they first entered the restaurant he slipped something to the maitre d' and gave him explicit orders for the night.

* * *

He was thinking about the perfect words to say when his train of thoughts drifted back to why the night was so superb. Maybe it was the way she'd been looking at him, no he was definitely used to her eyes being trained on him at all times. It could have been the stunning emerald dress she wore, if she hadn't looked so breath taking he might have teased her about the fact that the Riza Hawkeye was wearing a dress that reveled more skin than he'd ever seen, except for the times he's studied and burned the tattoo on her back. He suddenly wondered if Xing's retanjutsu could remove the tattoo and burn marks. His thoughts were forgotten when something rubbed against his leg. 

He looked up at her wide-eyed as she smiled at him coyly, and this time her barefoot went from his ankle to his knee drawing up the leg of his pants with it. She'd never done anything like that, and he didn't know how to respond.

He knew how he wanted to respond, but he was more than sure nobody in the restaurant would appreciate him clearing the table and having her right there. His face heated at the rush of images that flickered through his head. He was brought out of his trance by her voice. "Are you okay? Should we call it a night? You look flushed," she said, her smile turning into a smirk.

Every part of him screamed to agree, and he'd even opened his mouth to call the waiter over, but then he remembered handing the maitre d' the smooth velvet box and slipping him a generous sum as he agreed to do as told. The whole purpose of taking her there would be defeated if he left before the waiter returned with their meal.

There was a reason he'd chosen a restaurant that was located on the side of the city opposite from their apartments. The way they folded their linen napkins was perfect—they looked like flowers sitting on the table, the "petals" concealing the ring that held the folds in place at the nub of a "stem". His eyes moved from the midnight blue napkin and followed the hand that had crossed his vision to the wine glass it closed around, and then they tracked the movement of the wine glass to her lips. When she pulled it away a drop of the burgundy liquid clung to her bottom lip, threatening to slide down her chin. Her tongue quickly found it and slid across her lower lip to check for any others. For a minute Roy forgot to exhale, and then her lips formed that teasing smile, no smirk—his smirk, and he distracted himself by taking a drink from his own glass of wine.

After he swallowed more than a couple sips of the liquid he felt confident enough to start up a conversation, but his one track mind didn't let his thoughts stray far and got the best of him. "So, how's that new mattress?" he asked, and groaned inwardly when he realized what he'd asked.

"Honestly, a bit too firm for my liking, but I'm sure it'll be more comfortable after a while," she replied with a straight face.

Roy broke out in a fit of coughing as his mind pointed out the best way to fix the firmness of her mattress.

"Are you sure you're not coming down with something?" Riza asked, this time genuinely concerned as he got his coughing to subside. He nodded, but she still reached over the table and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead.

Roy usually would have take advantage of the wonderful view she was now providing him with, but he backed his chair away from the table. "I'm fine. I'll be back," he said as he fled from the table.

Riza let her arm fall to the table as she stared at the corner Roy had just disappeared around in dismay. She was just in playful mood, and he'd never seemed to mind before, but then again, she'd never actually acted this way in public before. Riza's thought process clicked off when she felt liquid pool up against her arm.

She frowned at Roy's fallen wine glass and his chair that had toppled against the table during his hasty retreat. She quickly pulled the napkin from its carefully folded flower shape and mopped up the liquid before it started to spill off the table.

* * *

Roy held some paper towels under the cool water draining from the silver faucet, and once again reminded himself why they couldn't just leave. He didn't think he'd find another day that seemed so right. He went over his proposal one more time as he patted his face with the damp paper towels. He took a minute to dry his face and walked back out of the bathroom.

* * *

"Miss, you dropped something," an older man at the table to her right said, placing a hand on her table and using the other one to point to a spot on the floor right next to where the table cloth met the deep blue carpet. 

Riza reached down curiously and picked up the ring glinting in the light.

Roy reached the table just as she straightened up with the ring in her fingers. His mouth flopped open and closed trying to find the words to say, but the instant he saw her looking at the ring in wonder his mind had gone completely blank into an amnesia-like state.

Riza's mind worked over time as everything clicked into place, no wonder he'd been acting so strangely. "What a beautiful ring. Someone will definitely miss this. Maybe we should give it to the waiter," she suggested.

"It's for you," Roy said when he finally got his mind functioning again.

"Well, Riza Mustang does have a nice ring to it," she said, slipping the ring onto her finger.

"Riza Mustang, I like the sound of that," Roy agreed, his composure in place for the first time that night.

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble," she told him, reaching for the hand that was righting his wine glass.

"You make a man do strange things, become impatient, and forgetful," he replied twining his fingers with hers, a smile stretching across his face.

"Why don't we find something to eat at my place," she suggested, already standing from her seat. He left enough money to cover the bill for the wine at the table, and they left the restaurant hand in hand. Once they got outside they took the first cab that drove by back to Riza's apartment.

She didn't even bother turning on the lights in her apartment, once the door was closed behind them she had him pinned against the wall lost in her kisses. That night Roy came to the conclusion that he didn't mind when she took the lead.

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A.N.-I'm glad the last two chapters, especially the one from Olivier's point of view, got such a warm welcome, and I hope you enjoy the rest of them just as much. I have given myself a deadling of posting at least one chapter every other week.

Thanks you for reviewing: Lili, Tsunade-Chan, Silvery Mist, Jennlyn78,


	4. At Roy's Expense

I don't own FMA

**Theme Four - Every Single Obstacle**

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Roy was more than a little nervous as he walked to headquarters with the weight of the gift-boxed, small metal object burdening his jacket pocket. It seemed to get heavier with every step he took closer to his office.

It was particularly early when he strolled into the office labeled Colonel Mustang in the usual fashion. Not even Riza Hawkeye was there yet. He'd gotten their before even the earliest of risers only because he'd grown frustrated after crashing into one piece of furniture or another from being caught up in his thoughts while he paced around his apartment.

Looking up at the clock he decided it was safe to take the box out of his pocket and stare at the ring for a while.

He'd walked into a jewelry store two nights before telling himself he was just looking, but he'd walked back out into the crowded street with a velvet box two hours later.

While he sat there alone in the office he was imagining the diamond set in the silver band wrapped around her finger when the office door opened. He quickly snapped the box closed yelping when his finger got caught in it. He didn't look up until the box was secure in his coat pocket.

"You okay, Chief?" Jean asked, staring at his disgruntled superior officer.

"Fine," Roy mumbled irately, nursing his throbbing finger.

"So, you're finally gonna ask, huh?" Jean said, unable to ignore what he had seen.

"If you say anything I'll roast you alive," Roy threatened, holding his fingers in his signature snapping position for effect.

"No roasting will be necessary today, Sir," Jean replied as he deposited his coat on the back of his chair.

"What's all this talk about roasting, Lieutenant Havoc?" Riza asked as she stepped into the room a bit later than usual.

"Oh, nothing really, just talking about what Mom promised for dinner tonight. Her cooking is one of my regrets about living in the dorms. You've tasted her cooking before, great isn't it?" He asked without missing a beat. With a superior officer like Riza, one learned to cover their slip ups well.

"Mhm, it's nice not having to worry about cooking. How's she doing?"

"She's lively as ever, though she keeps wondering when everyone is going to come over for dinner again. She misses cooking for a full house. It would be better for me if I brought over guests. She never asks about me finding the right girl to marry when other people are around," he answered, smirking at Roy behind Riza's back.

"At least she's not trying to set you up with her chess partner," Riza sighed as she walked back out of the office to gather the day's paperwork.

"Chess partner?" Roy choked out the words he directed only at himself. After his coughing fit subsided he finally paid attention to the dog sitting beside his chair and reached over to scratch him between the ears. It was definitely a great way to distract himself from his previous thoughts.

"I'm gonna go grab some coffee," Jean said as he slunk out of the room. Today, he was going to have fun, but he'd have to make sure not to stay in the same room as Roy, at least not alone.

He wasn't usually one to be in the office early but his new dorm mate had woken him up at an insanely early hour, and he hadn't been able to get back to sleep with the way the kid kept bugging him to go with him to the gym. Now, Jean found himself standing in the queue. It was there that he ran into his other co-workers. Kain, Heymans, and Vato were all standing at the middle of the line. Jean had always wondered how they managed to walk into the office at the same time.

It was a good thing, for safety in numbers was the rule for the day. Heymans noticed him first and waved him over. He didn't hesitate to get out of his place in line and join the small group a few feet ahead.

"Since when have you guys been meeting up here in the morning?" Jean asked, moving his cigarette from one side of his mouth to the other, as smoothly as most people shift weight from one foot to the other.

"We told you about it before, but you said you'd rather get fifteen minutes of sleep than wait in line," Vato replied.

Jean rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about Vato's explanation—it certainly sounded like something he would say.

"Why didn't you get those extra fifteen minutes today?" Heymans teased.

"New roommate's an early bird. I need to start looking for an apartment," Jean complained, a scowl sneaking onto his face as he thought of the bright, cherry, energetic young man that had woken him up.

"Oh, you're here. It seems Colonel didn't get enough sleep last night. Would you mind grabbing a cup of coffee for him?" Riza asked as she came up behind Jean with a stack of paperwork tucked under her arm.

"Yeah, sure," Kain quickly replied.

"Mustang's already here?" Heymans asked, his eyes nearly twice there usual size.

"Yeah, he got here before I did," Jean answered in a lowered voice.

"Odd, I think that's a first. I wonder why he's here so early," Kain mused.

"Oh look, the line moved," Jean pointed out the two foot gap between them and the redhead in front of them, effectively silencing the answer that was bubbling up in his throat.

They talked of the usual—Kain's work at the animal shelter, Heymans' latest winnings, Vato's daughter visiting, and Jean's new roommate—while the line moved along at the usual snail's pace. When they finally got to the front they were quick about ordering their drinks and, for a couple of them, food.

While they chatted on the way back to the office Jean was thinking of the different ways he could ruffle his superior officer's feathers. Upon entering the office they found their own piles of paperwork sitting on their desks waiting to be completed. Jean looked over to Roy's desk and held back a smirk at the amount of paperwork piled atop his desk. It was going to be a long day for the raven-haired alchemist.

Kain was elected to give Roy his coffee, and performed his task with a hearty, "Good Morning, Sir."

The only recognition he got was a half-hearted salute and incoherent slew of grumbling that included the words fire and paper. He was quick to return to his desk and filter through the reports of equipment he'd worked on, or was being assigned to work on.

Heymans spent the first few minutes in the office glaring at the black and white dog that strutted from desk to desk seeking attention, well all desks, but this particular soldier's. The dog was smart enough to know he wouldn't get any type of affection from the redhead.

After sending a quick greeting to Riza, Vato was quick to begin his daily paper pushing. He only paused every now and then in his writing to take a sip of the refreshing orange flavored tea. It was a great alternative to the orange juice, since his stomach could no longer handle the acidity.

Jean watched all of these habitual happenings, carefully planning his first move while mindlessly correcting a report on his latest session of firearms training. Hell if he'd let them think the new trainees didn't need more sessions, only two of the entire unit could actually shoulder the recoil of the standard sniper rifles.

The quiet tinkling of metal on metal caused him to turn his attention to the dog approaching his desk, and a grin broke out across his face. Hayate was well trained, but Jean knew his weakness. That dog would follow the orders of anyone who gave him food. All he had to do was snag part of Heymans' sandwich and he'd be ready.

It was when the redhead excused himself to go to the resources office that Jean acted. Only Kain had questioned his rummaging through their co-worker's desk, mainly because the other three didn't want to be involved in the prank wars that occurred between the two men, but Jean was quick to satisfy the young man with a lie about searching for paper clips.

It didn't take long for Hayate to catch the scent of chicken and begin to hover around Jean's desk. Hayate soon gobbled up a small chunk of the sandwich Jean had dropped under his desk and sat, waiting for more.

Riza looked up from her work at the all too familiar sound of her dog sniffing around the office, namely, Jean's desk.

It was odd for him to need to be let out this early, but it was definitely his sign that he needed to relieve himself. She was about to excuse herself, but Jean's voice filled the room.

"I've got to turn in this report, I'll take Hayate outside," Jean volunteered.

Riza nodded and got back to her own work, not giving Jean's actions a second thought, he was good with the dog, despite the first impression he'd given everyone about his capability with animals.

Jean returned a half hour later with a bit more spring in his step, but if anyone noticed, it wasn't acknowledged.

Jean spotted a perfect scenario when Roy got up, excusing himself to the bathroom. "Hawkeye, could you ever spend your life with someone lazy?" Jean asked as Roy pushed open the door to leave.

Riza's pen didn't slow for a moment. She found that in situation where she was being questioned by co-workers it was best just to answer than keep silent. "No," came her quick answer. No matter that it was a lie—she spent every working day with lazy people.

Her head jerked up as she heard a muffled grunt from across the room. Roy was standing half in, half out of the doorway, clutching his nose.

"Is it bleeding?" Riza asked. "We really should have that door fixed, Sir. It swings back much too quickly," Riza commented after he answered no to her question.

Havoc suppressed his laughter as best as possible, but Riza still heard it.

"Lieutenant," Riza warned, hoping to avoid giving the lecture about that not being funny, because she feared she wouldn't be able to keep a straight face.

While he was gone, Jean was writing down a list of bad traits he knew the Colonel possessed.

When Roy returned he sat down at his desk and stared at the black and white page in front of him, not seeing the words the ink formed.

"Sir, the pile is only going to grow if you keep staring at it like that," Riza commented.

With that being said Roy seemed to snap out of his thoughts and picked up his pen.

"Hawkeye, what about someone who has been known to be a womanizer, a playboy?" Jean questioned.

Riza was getting ready to tell Jean to be quiet and get his work done, in terms not quite as polite as that, but her head turned in the direction of a low growl. Roy was standing, his coat and pants tinged with dark brown color of coffee, staring at an overturned mug on his desk. "Sir, are you all right?" Riza asked as she pulled a box of tissues out of one of the right hand drawers of her desk.

"Fine, it's just cold," he muttered, pulling of his coat, to reveal a light brown wet spot on his white collared shirt.

"I was going to stop by my apartment during lunch, would you like me to drop it off at the cleaners on my way there, Sir" Riza asked as she made her way over to him with the tissue box.

Jean's eyes widened and he shook his head, hoping Roy would notice before he agreed, but it didn't work.

He'd just have to go to lunch before Riza, and make up some excuse to take Roy's coat, so she didn't find the ring.

Jean kept his mouth shut for a decent amount of time, but when Roy got up to start his compulsive window cleaning he got another idea to ruffle the man's feathers. It was always amusing that Roy teased Ed, but Jean had bragging rights about height over all of them, being almost a just about a foot taller than the man searching for his window cleaner in the small supply/coat closet.

Hayate obediently started walking in Roy's direction as Jean tapped out the signal with his pen.

While Roy was still shoving boxes around in the closet Jean looked up at Riza. "Hawkeye?"

Riza's pen lifted from the paper she was looking over as she put her signature on the bottom, and while she moved it to her "finished" stack she looked up at Jean. "Havoc?"

"Do you remember the time we were stuck in the infirmary during academy?" he asked, watching Roy start to walk across the room, Hayate on his heels.

"When we both had our wisdom teeth out?" she asked, shooting a look in Heymans' direction, warning him she, too, would be on the receiving end of any joke he was about to make.

The redheaded officer's mouth clamped shut and he returned to his work.

"Yeah. Didn't you say once that you preferred tall men?" Jean inquired.

Riza was about to take the easy way out and answer, instead of having to listen to the question for the rest of the day when Hayate barked in agitation and a thump sounded from the middle of the room.

"That was a long time ago, Havoc," she answered, pushing her chair back and making her way to the man and dog lying stunned on the floor. "You should go change, Sir, you're covered in coffee and window cleaner," she suggested, picking up the now empty bottle the blue solution had been in. Hayate crawled away from the man who'd tipped over him and to his master, revealing the missing lid to the spray bottle. Riza scratched him behind the ears. "You'll need a bath tonight," she told him, getting up from the floor and offering her hand to Roy.

She pulled the disgruntled Colonel to his feet. "Be more careful about where you're walking next time," she advised, hoping he'd make it to the men's locker room without incident.

Roy glared over at the smirking Jean, who mouthed the word ring, and his eyes went wide. Riza couldn't take it to the cleaners. "I'll be back. I'm going to go change," he announced, grabbing his coat on the way out.

"Boss sure is acting odd today," Heymans mumbled.

"He must be getting sick," Kain added.

"Mhm, he's actually made some headway on his paperwork, and it's not even past lunch," Riza agreed, swiping the tissues off his desk to wipe down her damp dog. There was nothing stranger, aside from Roy's current behavior, than the odor of wet dog and window cleaner.

"I guess it's a good thing they don't carpet the offices," Kain said, helping Riza clean the floor with the last of the tissues.

Roy returned to find everyone at their desks working and Hayate pawing at his nose trying to get rid of the smell of the solution.

The smell of chemicals was too strong, it must have seeped into the wood, he was surprised everyone was still in the office.

"I'm going to open a window, or two," he announced, making his way to the windows when no one objected.

What he wasn't counting on was the wind being so strong. The moment he opened the windows behind his desk all the papers he had on it went flying about the room a whirlwind. He looked over at everyone else's papers, aggravated that only his seemed to respond to the wind. He growled when he noticed his subordinates had been smart enough to use paperweights.

"I believe there are more in the closet, Sir," Riza spoke up.

"More?" he asked, running a hand through his hair in confusion.

"Paperweights," she elaborated, picking up her own star shaped one, and setting the paper she'd finished under it, on top of the stack of completed work.

After picking up his papers, with help from Kain, he made his way to the closet again.

He was sure he heard them whispering behind his back as he moved boxes around. When he finally turned back around to face them with a paperweight made in the likeness of the state alchemist pocket watch everyone was busy doing their work, the wind ruffling papers, scratching of pens, and Hayate's tail thumping against his master's desk the only sounds in the office.

He tossed the paperweight from hand to hand, slowly making his way around the office to Kain's desk, where his paperwork currently sat underneath Kain's kitten paperweight.

"What about a military man, Hawkeye?" the blond man asked suddenly.

"What _about_ a military man?" she inquired, stopping her work to look over at him.

"Could you ever sit at home waiting, worried sick about whether or not her was in danger, doing God knows what, recklessly putting his life on the line?" Jean explained.

They all heard it, the paperweight falling, hitting something, and then rolling to a stop on the side of Kain's desk.

Roy ignored the pain pulsating through his foot and opened his mouth to tell Jean to get back to work, "Hav—"

"Havoc," she cut him off, "One day I would like to settle down and have a family, but all of us here in this office have goals. I won't leave the military until I am sure mine is complete. I'm sure all of you know me enough by now to know I'm not the type to stay on the sidelines while my friends endanger themselves. No more questions, this isn't a press conference. I really hope this isn't the reason you're asking, but I'll say it anyway, no, I won't marry you. I'm going to lunch. Everyone should have some work done by the time I get back. Sir, go to the infirmary and have your foot looked at. Sergeant Fuery, make sure he does. Lieutenant Breda, stop snickering. Officer Falman, turn in the finished paperwork before you go to lunch, and Havoc, close your mouth or else you'll start catching flies," she ordered, leaving the room with Hayate in tow.

The short walk to her apartment helped her to calm down a bit. Instead of finding the sandwich she had left in her refrigerator, she went to the bathroom and ran some warm water into the bath. Hayate quickly jumped in, splashing her uniform with water. After she was sure he was clean she rinsed him off and wrapped him in the towel that was hanging on the back of the bathroom door. It was times like these she was glad his coat wasn't too long, thick, or fluffy, because he dried so easily. While he was running around the apartment, eager to use his nose again, she put on a clean uniform and got out her sandwich. She gave a little piece of the turkey meat to Hayate after he went through the usual drills: sit, speak, lay down, play dead, roll over, and stand.

On the way back to the office they passed the dry cleaners and she froze. "I forgot about his uniform," she mumbled to herself as she took the long way back to H.Q. through the park. She took her time, stopping to let children pet Hayate and chat with their parents.

Roy was alone. They'd all, aside from him, worked fiercely to make some headway in her absence, and 45 minutes into her break, left him. No one wanted to be around in case she was still upset when she got back. Kain had made him go to the infirmary, where one of the nurses fawned over him until a doctor said he'd just have a bruise for a while.

Being alone wasn't so bad—he could concentrate on the proposal. The only words he could come up with were—marry me, Riza—and he wrote them on the blank paper in front of him, trying to jog inspiration, but the only thing he felt was fatigue, could his day get, no he couldn't think that or it would, he knew it.

He put his head down to rest for a minute, just a minute.

The wind had died down to a soft, warm breeze, lulling him to sleep.

Riza walked into the office—minus Hayate, Kain had offered to watch him while he was on lunch—and was surprised to see Roy still there, albeit asleep, but he was still there. The pile to his right indicated he'd gotten at least two fifths of his work done. She leaned over further to inspect the paper under his face and arm, but he was blocking out all of the writing. She smiled and let out a sigh. "Sir, you should go home," she said, going around to his side and sinking down to peer at his face. She held back her laugh at the drool which had blurred the ink on the paper under his head. Part of her didn't want to wake him after everything that had happened so far. Or, maybe it was just because she hadn't seen him looking so ridiculously peaceful since they were children.

She listened, steady breathing, no flinching, eye's moving back and forth in the natural R.E.M. cycle. "Sir," she called again, placing her hand on his shoulder.

No response. She always wondered how he, who used to wake up at the slightest of sounds, could sleep as deeply as he did in the office. "Colonel, wake up," she said, a bit louder, shaking his shoulder.

His eyes snapped open. "Lieutenant?" he asked, using the hand that had been hanging off the armrest of his chair to wipe away the sleep that had gathered in his eyes. His eyes widened when they focused on her face and he sat up, alert, the paper sticking to his face.

He groaned, crumpling the paper into a ball as quickly as he could.

"There's drool on your face, Sir," she told him, straight faced.

He wiped at the spot she was pointing to with the sleeve of his clean uniform. "Is that all?" he asked, turning his face from side to side for her to inspect.

"Drool, yes. Ink, no," she replied, eyes sparkling with mirth. "On your left cheek," she indicated.

He used his sleeve again, but when he pulled away she shook her head. After his second attempt failed she went looking for her box of tissues, but remembered she'd used the last of them halfway to her desk and turned back to him.

"You'll have to go get another copy of that document from resources," she told him, taking his chin in her left hand and turning his face, so she could get a better look at the writing on his cheek. She wet the tip of the sleeve of her jacket with her tongue and lifted it up to the line of letters. "Who's Major R. Ryme?" she asked. "And why is my name there?" her eyes scanned the line again, racking her brain for a Major Ryme. 'Ma' for major she puzzled, 'r' Ryan, Renyold, Richard, they had plenty of those, but she couldn't place the sir name Ryme. She lifted her brow when he didn't reply. "Is he from a different base?" she asked, dabbing at the ink with her jacket.

Roy pulled away from her and coughed.

"Are you okay? You've been acting a bit off all day," she said, worried eyes focused on him.

"Yeah, fine," he said between coughs. "There is no Major R. Ryme," he confessed once his breathing was back to normal.

"Then wha—" she stopped mid-word, he brain putting the letters together.

"Marry me?" he asked, giving her a sheepish look.

"Is that why you, all day, Sir?" she asked, unable to form a full sentence. "And I thought Havoc," she chuckled.

He nodded, pulling the box out of his pocket.

"You didn't have to get all worked up over it, you idiot," she chastised.

"I didn't" he echoed, realizing his foolishness.

"Of course not and of course I will," she smiled.

"What about your goal?" he asked, brushing the tuft of bangs behind her ear to see clearly into both of her eyes.

"It's to help you with yours, and who better to be your aide than your wife?" she asked.

"What about the rules?" he inquired.

"I won't treat you any differently just because you are my husband, and if you treat me differently, I'll just train you otherwise," she explained.

**:)-------(:**

A.N.-Wow, this took me ages to write. Stupid wall impeding my ideas. Well, I think it turned out okay. 4,130 words! I've got new stories since my last post of this! Becoming Hawkeye: A story following the life of Riza's father, based on the speculation that he is part Ishbalan. Doom and the Wedding: 60 Days in the life of Olivier Milla Armstrong. Big thanks to WindxAlchemist for helping me get those walls to crumble. Oh, almost forgot, R.E.M. Rapid Eye Movement.

Thank you for reviewing: Anne Packrat, Silver Candle, Kuroxdoragon, Silvery Mist, Qualynore, Mirage992, QTPie235, AnimeLuvr8, Syolen, GoldenViolin127, Kitsune Moonstar, Legendary Chimera, HoshiToTskui, MoonStarDutchess, WinglessFairy25, RizaHawkeye28, Kurissyma san Tybalt, Dailenna, YourFavouitePlushie, Yun Min, OTP, Lili, Tsunade-chan, Jennlyn78, Botan and Karuma Lover, Riza Hawkeye 9, Momiji-K, RR Forever, AAR, JenovaJuice97, and Hawkeye0165.


	5. Dogs' Day Out

I don't own FMA

**'-.-'-.-'**

The day was drawing to a close, the pile of paper work on his desk nearly gone, and he still hadn't asked.

All of his careful research and planning would have been in vain if he didn't ask.

He heaved a sigh as he scratched his signature onto an expense report Falman had written, and looked over at Riza as he moved it to the "finished" pile.

In place of her usual novel was the day's newspaper.

She must have missed reading it when she'd worked straight through lunch. He sighed again, really, sometimes she worked too hard.

"Are you alright, Sir?" she asked, a crinkling of paper accompanying her question as she folded down the top of it to look at him with concerned eyes.

"No…yes…almost done," he stated, holding up the last paper.

She nodded and straightened the paper.

Roy stopped his head from its descent just inches from the desk, and held back the groan that wanted to escape his throat in irritation.

He quickly rushed through Fuery's report on the impending change of codes for non-secured calls, memorized the code, made a quick note for a flyer with the new code to be sent to every office, and set down his pen, the sound of it clicking against the desk the victory music for another day of finished paper work.

"Time to call it a night?" she inquired, folding the newspaper back into quarters.

He nodded, stretching his arms over his head as he stood.

At the door, he held her coat as she slipped her arms into the sleeves, just as he was about to ask, she opened the door and they were flanked by guards.

He rolled his eyes at the suited men, knowing their presence was unnecessary with Riza there, but if he dismissed them she would lecture him on his importance to the country as the Fuhrer, and remind him that the people could sleep better at night knowing more than one person was watching over him, no matter how skilled that one person was.

Despite the fact that four well trained, well armed guards crowded around them, he knew she was still alert for possible threats, hand ready to reach for her nearest gun, just as he was ready for combat with one ignition cloth glove on, and another in his pocket.

"You're off tomorrow, aren't you?" he asked as they stood inside headquarters waiting on their cars to be brought around.

"Mhm," she answered. He could tell by the tightness in her response that she was still irritated at having to be nearly as heavily guarded as he was since she was his second in command.

"Taking Hayate to the park?" he guessed.

"Not tomorrow."

Roy's shoulders stiffened…he hadn't expected that answer. "No?"

"No, Elysia's going to watch him for the day. She wants to buy Gracia a birthday present with her own money, so I'm paying her to watch Hayate once a week," she explained.

"Oh," Roy murmured, digging his hands into his pockets. "You know, I kind of miss just sitting in the park watching passers-by, makes me a bit jealous that the shrimp can actually request a day off to have a picnic with his brother, Winry, and May," he rambled.

The cars pulled up, but neither of them made a move down the steps. Riza looked over at him, her alert eyes trained on his. "A picnic, haven't done anything like that in a while," she mused, her eyes flashing a hint of amusement as she looked away from him. "Have a good night, Sir," she said as he descended the stairs, the majority of the guards leaving with him.

"Enjoy your day off, General," he called, as he ducked into the backseat.

**xxx**

"He shouldn't be any trouble at all. He's used to going outside every couple hours. His food's in the cupboard below the counter next to the refrigerator, I already put some out, but go ahead and add another cup if it gets low. You're welcome to raid the refrigerator or cupboards if you get hungry.

"The apartment is completely safe, but an M.P. is always out in the hall, just in case. Uhm, Kain's extension at H.Q. is in my phone book if you have any questions he should be able to answer them. You don't have to worry about the security codes, my phone is secured.

"If he gets restless a short walk should work. If you give him a bath, I'll give you a little extra," she concluded, mentally making sure she'd told the girl everything she needed to know.

"Thanks, Aunt Riza," Elysia said, watching the dog sniff at her shoes.

Riza bent over to scratch Hayate behind the ears, and his attention shifted from the familiar girl to his master, tail wagging.

"Be a good boy for Elysia," she ordered.

**xxx**

He was used to being away from his master, but she smelled different today, there was something about it that made him want to run around in circles, she smelled like something exciting.

He yipped in agreement when she said _good boy_, and wiggled his tail harder.

Hearing the clinking of her keys, he ran to the table near the bookshelf and snatched his leash off of it. He sat at the door, leash in mouth, waiting for her to attach it to his collar.

The familiar girl squealed while his master laughed. He cocked his head to the side, wondering why she laughed.

**xxx**

"He's so cute," Elysia squealed as Hayate sat ready to go with Riza.

"Oh, you're not going with me," Riza told the dog, patting him on the head as she opened the door.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise when he tried to get out the door behind her.

"No!" she scolded, pushing him back into the apartment with her foot.

"He's never done this before," Riza apologized to Elysia, a hint of confusion in her voice. "I'll call to check in on you," she said over the dog's whining.

**xxx**

Hayate whined and scratched at the door blocking him from his master. When it didn't open back up he looked over to the girl with big, sad eyes, but she just walked over and pet his head, saying something he didn't understand.

He turned a circle, and flopped down on the carpet in front of the door, chewing on the leash in his mouth, but the girl quickly took it from him, putting a chew toy in front of his paws.

He looked at it with disinterest and closed his eyes.

**xxx**

Elysia looked over at the dog with a worried glance. She never remembered him whining except for food when Riza was over for dinner.

"After I finish my homework, we'll go out to the park," she promised, frowning when Hayate didn't even look in her direction.

"Don't be sad. Your mommy will be back before you know it!" she attempted to comfort him, as she pulled a folder out of her bag.

**xxx**

Roy Mustang was not usually a nervous man. There were those rare moments when his anxiety flared up, and it was one of those moments as he stood in the flower shop with his mom and sisters trying to pull him in this direction and that while the plainclothes guards stood at the doors, telling customers it was closed for lunch.

"Tulips!" Christine shouted from across the store. "She'll love these!"

He looked over at the shopkeeper.

"Red tulips are a declaration of love," she said, hoping he would make his decision, she was loosing business.

"No, I need something that says more than that."

"Roses, every girl loves roses," Julie suggested.

"No, it has to be something different," he sighed.

"Let Roy-boy make the decision on his own," his mom demanded, using a tone that would have made him cringe had it been directed at him.

"What do you think?" he asked the shopkeeper.

"From what you said, I think we can make a red and white bouquet," she said, stepping out from behind the counter, motioning for Roy to follow her.

"Here, sprigs of cedar leaf for the trimming, it means 'I live for thee'." She grabbed a handful and passed it to him. "Red camellias, 'you're a flame in my heart'. White daisies 'loyal love', white arbutus 'thee only do I love', red carnations 'devotion', and some almond blossomd 'hope and watchfulness'," she explained, pulling said flowers and handing them to Roy as he and his sisters followed her up and down the aisles.

His mom nodded in approval as the woman arranged the flowers, little clusters of red surrounded by white with dashes of cedar leaf scattered throughout the entire bouquet.

"Thank you," he said, as she wrapped a sheet of pale red paper around the bouquet and tied it off with an iridescent ribbon.

**xxx**

She sat on a bench by the little lake, a brown bag of groceries next to her. While she reveled in the warm touch of the sun and cool breeze, she hoped that, with the country growing steady once more, she would have more time to enjoy moments like this.

The autumn sun was bright against her eyes as she opened them. The park wasn't nearly as occupied as it would have been had it been spring or summer, but that was something she was sure he had counted on.

Wondering how long she would have to wait, she pulled a bag of bread crumbs from the paper bag. There were still a few ducks that hadn't flown south to warmer weather around.

"Procrastinators," she murmured as she grabbed a handful and threw it into the water, chuckling quietly to herself as the ducks raced for it.

As they sat quaking in demand for more, a little girl with her dark hair in pigtails ran over yelling, "Duckies!"

Riza looked to the familiar men talking, just far enough behind her for their conversation to fall silent on her ears, and one nodded, but she put up a hand to halt him.

"They'll be scared away if you're too loud," she informed the girl.

"Momma said they'd be gone, but I knew she was wrong," the girl explained.

"Want to feed them?" Riza asked.

The girl nodded enthusiastically, and Riza saw a woman approaching them, anger visible on her face.

One of her guards was already intercepting the woman. She held open the bag for the girl to reach into. "I'm Riza Hawkeye, what's your name?" she asked.

"Melanie," she answered, grabbing a handful of bread crumbs.

Riza watched in amusement as the girl squatted at the edge of the sidewalk, holding her hand full of crumbs out over the water. "Here ducky, ducky," she called.

When they didn't eat the food from her hand she attempted to scoot closer, and Riza went to her side. "Here, this is how you feed them," she said, tossing a handful into the water.

Riza kept her hands close to Melanie as she stood, afraid the girl was going to fall in the lake.

**xxx**

Roy smiled as he watched Riza interact with the little girl. Laughing to himself as Riza's shoulders slumped when the girl tossed bread crumbs up in the air. As he approached, he could hear the girl calling for the ducks to come out of the lake and get their food that lay scattered around her.

Riza spotted him as she dusted crumbs off her shoulders and shook her head at his amusement.

He joined them just as the girl's mom did.

"Melanie you can't run off like that," she chided, face burning with anger. "Not everyone is as nice as this lady," she explained, taking the girls hand. "Now, tell her thank you."

"Thank you, uh, I forgot your name."

"Thanks for joining me, but your mom's right, you shouldn't talk to strangers."

The woman smiled at her. "Thank you, General Hawkeye," she said. "Uhm, we'll be going."

"Wait, here take this. They'll probably be here another week," she offered, holding out the bag of crumbs to the girl.

"Can we, Momma?" she asked, prancing in place.

The woman nodded.

"Why'd you call her general?" the girls asked loudly, swinging her bag as they walked away.

"I'll explain later," the woman answered.

"Fancy seeing you here, Sir," Riza said as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Really?" he asked. "I had a feeling I'd run into you today, General."

"Well, I was about to leave," she said flatly. "You got lucky that girl kept me company."

"Lucky indeed," he echoed, smirking at her.

Riza looked at his empty hands. "I brought a few things, but you didn't expect me to bring everything did you?"

Roy shook his head, and she lifted an eyebrow in question. "Well?"

"I'll take you there, but—" he drew out the silence as he pulled a blue sash from his pocket, "it's a surprise."

"You don't expect me to consent to being blindfolded, do you?" she asked, cheeks coloring.

"Are you saying that after all these years you don't trust me to lead you around the park blindfolded, with five guards monitoring our every move?" he guilt tripped.

"It's not that I don't trust you…it's just—"

"I know, I know, it's everyone else. It's your day off, let everyone else do their jobs, trust them to. I have my gloves. I'll put them on if it makes you feel any better."

"Okay, if you put your gloves on," she consented, gathering the bag of food from the bench.

Riza closed her eyes as he covered them with the soft sash.

"Did you cut your hair?" he asked, tying the sash at the back of her head, careful not to catch the golden strands in it.

"Mhm, just a trim."

"It looks good," he complimented, putting his hands on her shoulders to guide her.

Riza ignored the flutter in her stomach, and as usual, followed his direction.

**xxx**

The moment Elysia opened the door, Hayate took off running, annoyed at the hindrance of his leash.

"You really gotta go, huh?" the girl joked, letting herself be lead past an amused M.P. by the dog.

Hayate followed his master's familiar, yet different, scent, whining that it was old.

More than once, he had to look back and bark at the girl to hurry up, and she would pull on his leash, but he was too excited to worry about that, he just wanted to find his master, wanted to figure out why she smelled different today.

"What is wrong with you," Elysia growled as she struggled to keep the leash in hand. "How can such a little dog be so strong," she whined to herself as she tried to take control as they crossed a busy street, the dog's nose sniffing at the ground.

"Hayate, you gotta be careful of cars," she lectured, hurrying to the sidewalk.

Hayate yipped as the tension on the leash lessened. The girl was finally getting it.

Elysia followed his lead, walking as fast as she could without jogging, apologizing to people she (and Hayate)accidentally bumped into.

"Stupid dog, I was gonna bring you to the park anyway, but no, you wanted to drag me all through Central first," she grumbled, getting odd looks from passers-by watching her being tugged along by the little dog.

When he slowed down at the side of the lake to bark at the ducks, she took the opportunity to tie his leash around the leg of the bench.

Hayate barked at the ducks asking about his master, but all they could talk about was bread and the weather. He barked at them one last time out of annoyance, and tried to take off after her scent again, but was stopped short.

"Serves you right, demon dog," Elysia commented as he yelped and investigated the other end of the leash.

Hayate whined and looked at the girl.

Suddenly, he smelled something aside from his master and ducks, another familiar smell, a man, a man his master's clothes sometimes smelled of. The man that smelled like fire he remembered, the man was with his master almost as much as he was. He barked at the girl, and tried running again, but the same thing happened. He wouldn't give up. If that man was with her, then why couldn't he be with her?

Elysia gave the dog an exasperated look as he attempted to run off a third time, but her eyes widened as the metal clasp that the leash was snapped to on the collar broke, setting the dog free.

"No!" she shouted, getting the leash loose and chasing after him.

Hayate quickly picked up the trail, and his tail wagged at how fresh it was. As he went further into the woods of the park, it was easier to follow the scent without having to untangle it from the scent of other humans.

He could hear the girl panting somewhere behind him, and went faster, he had to find his master before the girl got him.

Just as the thought passed through his head, he noticed men that smelled of the military offices standing around. If he could have smiled he would, he knew the military men would keep the girl away now…they were close, he slowed down.

There was something about the atmosphere that changed, it reminded him of times when his master needed him to stay out of her way.

His tail stopped wagging as he got closer to them. It wasn't long before he saw them sitting in the middle of a clearing, and he nearly rushed at them when he did, it looked like the fire man was attacking her, but he didn't smell any fear or anger, just that same smell of excitement, but there was so much if it now it made him tired. He watched until they moved away from each other, and he saw his master smile at the fire man as he moved hair away from her face.

Suddenly, he knew it was the wrong time to bug his master, just like he knew when it was the wrong time to bug her(or others) for food, and backed out of the clearing.

**xxx**

Elysia sat on the bench, staring blankly at the ducks swimming in the lake, wondering exactly how she was going to tell Riza that she'd lost her dog. She was near tears as her overactive imagination played out all the possible ways the woman could react to the bad news. "She's going to kill me," she groaned, pulling the leash taught in her hands. "I'll call Uncle Kain," she decided.

As she stood from the bench, set on getting Kain's help, she saw a black and white shape from the corner of her eye, and turned her head in its direction.

"I'm never watching you again," she huffed as the dog trotted over to her, sitting obediently at her feet, cocking his head to the side.

"So not cute," she commented, reaching down to clip the leash on the collar itself.

When the dog walked at her side keeping pace with her, she looked down at him.

"Fine, I forgive you," she said blandly, vowing that she's never let him get loose again.

**xxx**

Riza smiled at Roy as he moved her bangs out of her eyes, she was sure her own face was just as flushed as his, and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Sometimes, I wish time could freeze, and things could stay like this forever," she confessed into his collar.

"I don't think I'd like that," he disagreed.

Riza pulled away, pain replacing the bliss that had filled her eyes moments before. "Roy?" she questioned, voice harsh, cold, and hurt.

"I don't mean it that way," he explained, reaching out for her hand, but she pulled away.

"Then wha—"

"I mean," he cut her off, "that I don't want to have to speak in code or make up a legitimate excuse every time I'd like to see you outside of work. I don't want us to go home in separate cars anymore. I want us to come home to and wake up to each other for the rest of our lives," he confessed, pulling the red and white bouquet from the basket behind him.

With skillful fingers he untied the iridescent ribbon, and held it up for her to see the ring dangling from it. "What I really want is to call you wife, if you'd let me," he explained.

"Not around the office, though," she answered her smile so wide she was sure it stretched all the way across her face.

"Fine, but I can't promise that I won't try to do this when were alone in the office," he admitted, leaning forward to kiss her as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"I guess I'll have to keep my guns close," she threatened against his lips, staying away from them only long enough to finish that sentence.

**'-.-'-.-'**

**A.N. - **You know, all these pieces I planned on writing for the RoyAi day festivities over at fullmetal-alchemist(dot)com were supposed to be short and sweet, 3.5k is not short. *sigh* This was written for the prompt New Beginnings, which is the theme of the festival, and the prompt Inappropriate Timing. I was getting kind of giddy at the end there, and almost gave it a Pride & Pejudice ending "You many only call me Mrs. Mustang when you are completely, overwhelmingly, incandescently happy." lol *sweatdrop* thank goodness I couldn't end it with someone else's words. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks fr reading.

Thanks for reviewing: Alynawatlovers, I Am the 1st Anonymous, Coco-minu, Lahze-chan, Legendary Chimera, Mirage 992, WhiteLadyoftheRing, Kimono K, YourFavouitePlushie, Syolen, Winglessfairy25, Dailenna, Chaotic Lullaby, Kurissyma san Tybalt, MoonStarDutchess, Kitsune Moonstar\ Anne Packrat, Silver Candle, Kuroxdoragon, Silvery Mist, Qualynore, QTPie235, AnimeLuvr8, GoldenViolin127, Kitsune Moonstar, HoshiToTskui, RizaHawkeye28, Yun Min, OTP, Lili, Tsunade-chan, Jennlyn78, Botan and Karuma Lover, Riza Hawkeye 9, Momiji-K, RR Forever, AAR, JenovaJuice97, and Hawkeye0165.


	6. Trust Me

I don't own FMA

**Prompt: Everything But The Kitchen Sink**

**End of Series Spoilers  
**

-x-x-x-

Riza sighed as she looked around at the boxes that cluttered her apartment.

"What's wrong?" Roy asked as he walked through the open door with unfolded boxes under his arm and packing tape looped around his wrist.

She waved her hand around the room. "I never really got the chance to unpack."

"I worked you pretty hard, didn't I?" he asked, grinning sheepishly.

She shook her head. "No, I'm just horrible at unpacking," she confessed.

"Well that gives us less work to do," he said, eyes brightening at the prospect of getting to relax before heading for the train station in the morning.

"I can take care of this on my own. You should go finish packing up your apartment," she suggested.

"Yeah, like I want to go back to that mess. Ma's staying there until her bar is renovated, which means the girls have joined her," he explained.

"Sir, you really should spend some time with your family while we're still here. You may not be able to visit them for a while," she lectured him.

"It's not much further than Eastern and the distance never kept them away before."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

He propped the unfolded boxes against the wall and tossed the tape to her. "Fine, I'll go," he conceded. "But remember, the place has been abandoned for years, so bring everything you can," he reminded her.

"Yes, Sir, everything but the kitchen sink," she said, giving him a mock salute.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Riza stared up at the building, memories of her first tour in Ishval bubbling to the surface of her mind. She shook her head and walked through the doors held open by two Warrant Officers in white dust cloaks. They saluted her as she walked past, and she shifted the box in her arms to salute back. Fans twirled on the ceiling and a man reading a newspaper glanced up at her.

"Name and rank?" he asked.

"Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye," she replied.

He snapped a quick salute that she returned.

"Ah, up top, Ma'am. Only two apartments on that floor," he said, staring at her in awe as he held out a set of keys to her.

"Thank you, Cadet. We really appreciate you volunteering to help get this building set up."

He nodded and watched her as she went past the elevator and to the stairs.

Riza stared at her empty apartment, trying to plan out where everything would go. She set the box down on the kitchen counter and opened it. "This time, I'll unpack," she vowed.

Just then, she heard a creak, and whirled around as she pulled her gun from its holster.

Roy stood inside a door that certainly wasn't the door she'd used to enter the apartment. She shoved the gun back in place and saluted him.

He rolled his eyes. "No need to salute when it's just us," he reminded her.

She eyed him wearily. Why are you in my apartment?"

He took a step back. "I'm in my apartment," he said matter-of-factly.

"No, these are the keys they gave me," she argued, holding up the keys she'd dropped in her pocket.

He smirked. "Adjoining apartments. I requested it, since we're going to have a lot of work to do," he explained.

She frowned. "How do I lock that door?" she demanded.

"You can lock it all you want, just remember that this clapping alchemy is pretty convenient."

"You wouldn't."

"I might, or I might not," he said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"How'd you get here before me? I thought you got stopped for a press conference."

He nodded. "I did, but that didn't take as long as it took for you to make sure everything from the trains got sent to the right places."

"How am I supposed to explain this to the Fuhrer when he's here next week?"

Roy laughed. "You won't have to, he gave me the idea," he told her.

"He would, wouldn't he?" Riza grumbled at her grandfather's eagerness.

A knock sounded on the door, and Roy retreated further into his room, closing the door as he went.

She glanced at the door to Roy's room for a moment and then went to her door.

"The truck's arrived," Denny told her as she opened the door.

"Good, have everything brought up. The Lieutenant General's apartment is right next door," she told him.

He nodded.

She took the box she'd left on the counter and unloaded her toiletries into the bathroom.

When she returned to the living areas, she hadn't expected to see Denny lugging in a stack of boxes and rushed to help him, but he shook his head.

"Don't look so surprised, I trained with Colonel Armstrong," he told her, grinning over the top of the boxes. "It must have been a long ride for you, just, uh, sit back and relax. The couch is right behind me," he suggested.

Once it was clear that they wouldn't let her help, she flopped down on the couch and watched as a constant stream of officers poured past her apartment with Roy's things and into her's with her things.

"This is the last of it," Denny said as he walked past her. He stared at the door to Roy's apartment for a moment. "Is that the bathroom?" he asked.

"No, uh, a closet. The bathroom is down the hall," she redirected him, the lie springing to her lips before she knew it.

"The Lieutenant General has a closet in about the same spot, too," Denny observed.

"There must be some empty space between our apartments, maybe for insulation or soundproofing," Roy suggested as he entered the apartment from the proper door.

"Lieutenant General!" Denny exclaimed as he snapped to attention and saluted.

"At ease. Just checking in on how moving is going for the Lieutenant Colonel," he explained as he walked around the room as if he hadn't seen it earlier. "A bit smaller than mine, but otherwise identical," he commented. "I thought you were staying in Central, First Lieutenant."

"Oh, I am. Armstrong couldn't be here to help with the move, so I came in his stead."

"Is that so? He must still have some repairs to do from the General's time at home," Roy joked.

Denny laughed. "I heard they built a tank there," he gossiped.

"A tank, I never saw a tank," Roy argued.

Riza sighed, but refrained from mentioning that he didn't see it because it had been cleared out before he got the chance.

"Well, you know rumors," Denny said sheepishly.

"Rumor's that must've been it," Roy agreed.

"Well, then, there are still more people to help get settled in," Denny excused himself.

"Where will you be staying, Lieutenant?" Riza inquired.

"The dorms just down the road."

"You should join me for lunch before you go back to Central," she offered.

Denny's ears went red. "O…okay," he stammered.

Riza smirked over at, the now frowning, Roy. "I'll give you a call at the dorms once I've finished unpacking.

"And have a phone set up," Roy reminded her.

"I'll just use the one in the office," she told him.

He scowled.

"Well, then, I'm sure they're plenty of people eager for your help, Lieutenant," Riza said as she walked Denny to the door.

"Yeah," he murmured, not quite sure what to make of the tense atmosphere.

Once the door was closed, Riza turned to Roy and laughed at the way Roy's eyebrows knit together when he pouted.

"You don't look like you're feeling well, Sir. Maybe you should go back to your apartment and rest," she advised him.

"Or maybe you should ask me to lunch," he huffed.

"We have lunch together all the time, Sir," she recalled.

"You mean we take lunch at the same time, it's pure coincidence," he pouted.

It was her turn to scowl. "Really? Coincidence that I take my lunch at the same time as you nearly everyday, _and _happen to sit across from you?"

He shrugged. "Since you are my aid, it would make sense that our lunches coincide," he argued.

"I've got some unpacking to do, I suggest you get started on your own," she hissed.

Roy raised his hands in defeat. "I'm going, I'm going," he muttered, and went through the 'closet' door which Riza shut behind him.

She went to the nearest stack of boxes and opened it. A blue mug and a yellow mug sat nestled atop a pile of office supplies. She stared at the box for a moment, surprised to see that it had made it to her apartment, and nearly decided to go see her new office. She moved the box aside, sure that if she didn't get around to unpacking now she never would.

-x-x-x-x-x-

She slumped onto the couch with a sigh and looked around the apartment with a pleased grin. It looked more like a home than any of her apartments ever had.

Her eyes lingered on the door to Roy's apartment for a moment and she got to her feet, but, before she was halfway to the door, she shook away the idea of checking in on him and turned to walk to her room.

The fan above her bed churned away the desert heat and lulled her to sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

A sharp whistling put her nap to an end and sent her hand flying into the top drawer of the end table next to her bed. She crept down the hall, only to roll her eyes at Roy pouring hot water into a mug.

"You're awake," he murmured, sensing her eyes on him.

She tucked the pistol into the waistband of her pants.

"I didn't bring along any tea," he said before she could inquire about him being in her apartment.

"Didn't follow your own advice?" she teased, trying to put their earlier argument behind them.

He turned around, his eyebrows knit together in thought. "Advice?"

"This place has been abandoned for years, so bring everything you can," she quoted.

"I thought I should leave a few things behind for my company until Ma got a new place," he reasoned.

"I thought she preferred coffee," Riza mumbled.

He shrugged. "One of your boxes was put in with mine, and I needed some caffeine to finish unpacking, so why not kill two birds with one stone," he explained.

Riza noticed for the first time, that the box next to Roy wasn't her box of office supplies. "I don't remember that box."

He rolled his eyes. "They're all the same."

She shook her head. "No, that one is smaller, and it doesn't have any writing on it. I marked everything."

"Well, then shall we open it?" he asked, as he picked up the box off the counter. "It's rather light."

"Sir, if you can't account for that box, and I can't account for that box," she reasoned, every nerve in her being on edge, waiting for the worst to happen.

He sighed and pulled open one of the cardboard flaps. She flinched, but snatched it from his hands and sprinted for the nearest window.

"Hawkeye, I can account for it," he mumbled, hauling her backwards by the waist before she could pry the window open.

"Sir?"

He held her close, and sighed into the crook of her neck. "You had to make this difficult, didn't you?"

"Make what difficult?" she asked, trying not to react to the warmth of his breath on her neck and cheek.

"Just open the box."

There was something in his voice that made her hesitate.

"Go on, open it," he prompted again.

She nodded and pulled open the three flaps that were still partially closed.

Another box was tucked inside a nest of old newspaper. A gentle tug pulled the top free of the smaller box, and exposed a blue velvet box. "I can't," she murmured.

"There you go again, making this difficult," he complained as he plucked the box from her hand. She let him gently steer her to the couch, and watched as he got on one knee.

"Hawkeye," he began, but shook his head at the all too familiar use of her last name. "Riza, you've trusted me with your back, your father's research, your dreams, will you also trust me with your hand in marriage?" he asked, voice steady despite the tremble in his hand as he opened the blue box to reveal a simple diamond set in a white-gold ring.

Her eyes went wide, and she focused on the wall behind him. She had suspected he might ask one day, but never had she thought that day was so close.

"Riza?" he asked in her silence.

"Hm?" Her response was robotic as she flipped through the recent events in her mind, trying to figure out if he'd dropped any hints. He shifted awkwardly, dropping his gaze to the floor, and she realized he hadn't answered him.

She took the box from his hands and set it beside her on the couch. He looked up at her, eyes hopeful but shoulder slumped.

Leaning forward, she gingerly planted her hands on either side of his face, her fingertips on the base of his skull. "Of course I will," she breathed over his lips before placing a gentle kiss on them.

He smiled against her lips and pulled away, his fingers twining in hers. "You had me going for a second there," he admitted sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting that...and I almost threw it out the window," she trailed off.

He chuckled. "Well, it'll make for an interesting story," he said as he pulled her close for another kiss.

**-x-x-x-**

**A.N.** - Gosh, I had forgotten that this was even on my computer! Well, at least I kind of remembered where I was going with it. :3 Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for reviewing: Bizzy, L. Lamperouge, Rinoax, .one, Shikabane-Mei, Alyice, Mirage992, Silvery Mist, RoyxRizaFan, Everystep. I Am the 1st Anonymous, Rissy, JoPo08, Deniece, YourLifeInWords, MoonStarDutchess, JackSparrow589, Kitsune Moonstar, Winglessfairy26, Alynawatlovers, Coco-minu, Lahze-chan, Legendary Chimera, WhiteLadyoftheRing, Kimono K, YourFavouitePlushie, Syolen, Dailenna, Chaotic Lullaby, Kurissyma san Tybalt, Anne Packrat, Silver Candle, Kuroxdoragon, Qualynore, QTPie235, AnimeLuvr8, GoldenViolin127, HoshiToTskui, RizaHawkeye28, Yun Min, OTP, Lili, Tsunade-chan, Jennlyn78, Botan and Karuma Lover, Riza Hawkeye 9, Momiji-K, RR Forever, AAR, JenovaJuice97, and Hawkeye0165.


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